Definition of hate

c: a systematic and especially politically exploited expression of hatred
a crime motivated by bigotry and hate—often used before another nounhate mailan organization tracking hate groups — see also hate crime

Examples of hate in a Sentence

Noun

These crimes are motivated by prejudice and hate.
They have been unable to overcome their hates and fears.

Verb

He was a cruel tyrant who was hated and feared by his people.
She hated them for betraying her.
They were political rivals who truly hated each other.
What is it that you hate about him most?
children whose families have taught them to hate
They hate being apart from each other.
I hate the idea of leaving my mother alone all week.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Note:
Though this Indo-European etymon is generally accepted in etymological dictionaries of the relevant older languages, the semantic relations are far from transparent, in particular the relation between "grief, mourning, care" (Greek, Iranian) and "hatred" (Germanic, Italic, and Celtic, though the ambiguity of the Irish word is peculiar).

Verb

Middle English haten, going back to Old English hatian, going back to Germanic *hatōjan- (whence Old Saxon haton "to hate," Old High German hazzōn, Old Norse hata,), derivative from the base of *hatiz-hate entry 1